Car-coupling



UNITED STATI-3s PATENT Ormea.

MARTIN HARMON, OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324.108, dated Angus; 11, 1885.

Application filed J une 4, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN HARMoIv, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at East St. Louis,.in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specication. Y

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, durable, and effective car-coupling, by means of which cars can be automatically coupled together, and may be uncoupled by means of a rod or lever extending either to the sides of freight-cars, or to the platform of coaches, or to the top of the former, within reach, thereby avoiding the necessity of going between the cars, and insuring safety to life and limb, this improvement being also adapted-to couple with the ordinary link-coupling now in use, and is lapplicable to passenger-coaches as well as freight-cars.

To more fully describe my invention,and to enable others to fully understand the construe tion and operation of the same, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a top plan of one draw-head, showing the outside improvement, and a plan section of another draw-head,clearly showing the inside improvements, the two being represented as coupled together. Fig. 2 is a side view and part section of my improved coupling. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the draw-bar.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the draw-head; B, the connecting draw-bar, each end of which is provided with a spear or arrow head, b. (See Fig. 3.) One spear-head enters the draw-head of one car,while the other spear-head enters the draw-head of the opposite car. v

Vithin the draw-head B, I provide two wings or arms, C, opposite each other, and hinged to turn on pins c c in the forward end of the said draw-head. These wings C extend back to the rear ofthe draw-head, and engage back of the spear or arrow head b of the draw-bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 1,When the coupling is made. To enable the operator to disengage these wings from the draw-bar and to nncouple the cars, the following pro visions are'inade: Directly top of the drawhead and over each wing are pivoted the levers d and d, turning'on pins or bolts d d as their i'ulcrum. The short arm e e'of each lever is curved around toward the center line of the .draw-head, and are each provided with teeth e e', the teeth of one lever meshing with those of the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The purpose of thus engaging the two levers with one another is to cause them both to operate together and alike at the same time. The long arm of each lever extends back,as shown, and has attached to its extreme end a rod or chain, f, which latter extends to the side, top, or platform of the car,within reach of the operator. A rod or pin, f', is passed vertically through each lever at about the Iniddle of the long arm, (see Figs..l and 2,) and extends and connects to the wing O directly underneath, passing through a slot, g g, cut into the top of the draw-head. (See- Figs. l and 2.) These rods f may be screw-threaded at their lower end to securely engage-into the wings C. As the rod f is now pulled, the levers are turned with the long armsv away from each other, thus spreading apart, at the same time causing the rods f of each lever to turn their respective wing C back and out of engagement with the draw-bar arrow-head. Upon releasing the rod or chain f a spring, g', provided between the two levers to the top of the drawhead and connected with each lever, as shown in Fig. l, draws both levers together with the long arms, and thereby returning the wings G back to original position. The wedgeshaped point of the arrow-head, on entering whole head has passed beyond the wings, when the latter, caused by the tension of the spring g', close against the neck and into the gills h,making the lock,and holding the drawbar secure andfirm, at the same time allowing suicient play of the head caused by the motion ofthe cars. As will be seen,great strength and durability of the wings is achieved, the strain on the same being distributed over the bolts or pins c for the entire depth of the wings. t' is a washer or lug placedbelow and above the wings, which leave the latter free to swing on their respective pins. In case a car provided with my coupling is required to the draw-head, forces the wings apart until the IOO be coupled with a our having the ordinary :ind turning onth'e pins c o, levers d d, prolinlveoupling, the drew-bar is removed anda vided with teeth e', and pivoted and turning pin is inserted through n, hole, j, provided in onpins d d', spring g', rods f, slot g in the i 5 the middle of the drnw-heed,and the two are draw-head A, and the ydraw-loam B, ell com- 5 ycoupled together in the ordinary wey.r The bined substantially as herein shown and deshnnk Iof the draw-har 'proper is strengthened scribed, and for the purpose set'forth. by increased thickness of metal at k; and c'is In testimony of said invention I have herethe ordinary cushion-spring in the rear. unto set my hand.

Having thus fully described the construey f io tion and operation of my invention, what I XVitnesses:

elaimisl f Gillis. F. MEISNER,

MARTIN HARMON.

In a ear-eoupling, the wings C C, pivoted JOHN JORDAN. 

